What Happened To The Greasers
by StayGold1995
Summary: What happens to the gang after the death of Johnny? How will they cope? Friendship, comfort, tragedy, romance. Please review.
1. Ponyboy's Diary Entry

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from The Outsiders, they belong to SE Hinton.  
>Set after the book, except Dallas didn't die.<p>

The sun had set along the horizon just as Johnny's coffin had been set deep into the ground. The gang all planned the funeral ourselves, set at the sunset, just as he would've wanted. He was right, it was the mist that was pretty; he was right, Dally had never seen a sunset before. This was his first time. Johnny's parents didn't show. No surprise. They never did really care about Johnny. The gang was the closest thing to family Johnny ever had.

Tonight was important to me. It was my time to say goodbye to Johnny. I need to remember it. Every little bit I have left of him, every memory, it has to stay.

We all squashed into the car and drove back to my house.

"Ain't gonna be the same without Johnny here no more." Sodapop sighed sinking into a chair as we all trailed in.

"I still can't believe it." I mumbled, letting in a jagged breath trying to hold back the tears that would soon be falling down my cheeks.

I missed him. I didn't think I'd ever lose him. He was my best friend. The only best friend I'd ever had. And now he's gone.  
>I hated the thought, it made me feel weird and empty inside.<p>

Darry came and sat next to me, putting his arm around me in a tight grip.  
>"It'll be alright, kid. He ain't in pain no more. He's in a better place."<p>

It was weird being comforted by my brother. He's always been more like a father figure to me since our parent died. He's always been there for me, but he's always been blunt with it. He never really show emotions. I suppose we just feel things differently.

We reminisced through the night and into early hours of the morning. We shared memories and all cried at some point. Including Dally. I kind of expected everyone else to cry, but not Dally. I mean, I never saw anyone cry before apart from Soda and Johnny really. I still expected the guys to cry though, but not Dally. Nobody ever saw Dallas Winston cry.

He was quiet through most of the night. Listening, thinking, smiling over memories. I'd never seen Dally like that before. As I watched him, I could see the pain in his eyes. He really cared about Johnny. I think he cared about him more than he cared about anyone else.

"Do ya remember when he had his first kiss?" Dally finally spoke, very softly.

"It was with Connie or somethin'. I was with him at the lot that night and he spoke about it. Man, was he happy…" Dally trailed off, smiling to himself. He hadn't said much that night, but what he did say sure did make a difference. It gave us all an insight into his and Johnny's friends, and it was something we knew nothing about.

Everyone spoke about memories with Johnny that we all already knew about, cause we were there or heard about it. Everyone apart from Dally. I wasn't sure if they didn't want to talk about their times alone with Johnny or if they just didn't have any to tell. I did, but I just didn't want to tell anyone about it. Not now anyway. Right now it's just between Johnny and I. I like it that way. If I told the gang, it feels like it wouldn't have the innocence it did before, y'know?

We spoke until we all drifted to sleep. I dreamt about him that night. I relived the sunset and the time at the church. In my dream Johnny didn't get hurt though. It all seemed so real. I thought it was. I wished it was.


	2. Guilt

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or any of the characters, they all belong to S.E Hinton.

Each chapter will probably be told from a different point of view.

Please review and give constructive criticism. Thank you for reading :)

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><p>The next morning after the funeral, the gang were awoken by Darry getting ready for work. They were all sprawled out on the floors, chairs and the couch in the Curtis' living room.<p>

Ponyboy stretched getting up off the couch, treading straight on Two-Bit who was laying on the floor beneath him. Two-Bit groaned as Ponyboy walked over him. He slowly sat up yawning, then looked at the gang around him. Up until then Ponyboy had completely forgotten about the events of the day before. He had even forgotten that Johnny had died. It wasn't until he saw the gang, without Johnny there, that he remembered. That's when it all came flooding back to him. The blade of reality cut him, bringing him back to real life. He let out a jagged breath at the remembrance of the past events.

All of the gang had the same expression on their faces as Ponyboy did. Pain, heartbreak, depression, guilt. Each boy felt responsible in some way.

Steve and Two-Bit left, soon followed by Darry who had work. Sodapop had his shift at the DX changed so he didn't have to talk to anybody that he didn't want to. He wanted to look after Ponyboy too.

It was just Ponyboy, Sodapop and Dally at the house. They sat in front of the TV watching Mickey, making small talk every now and again.

After an hour of silence, they had fallen into proper conversation again.

"Hey, Pony…" Dallas spoke gently.

Ponyboy glanced up at Dallas, who was watching Ponyboy carefully, as was Sodapop. Ponyboy noticed them both watching him and grew slightly nervous. Why were they staring at him like that?

"Are ya' alright?" Dallas asked. He spoke softly, the same way he had been since the death of Johnny.

"I suppose so." Ponyboy paused. Hesitant of what he was about to say, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"I… I was more worried about you." He gulped.

Sodapop nodded in agreement looking up to where Dallas was sitting. Pony and Soda watched Dallas' facial expression change quickly.

At first he looked sad. Then he just looked emotionless, like he was covering his emotions up. His face was blank and he just stared across the room.

They waited a few moments for an answer.

"I'm okay." Dallas said bluntly.

"I should go." He grabbed his jacket and swiftly left the Curtis home before Ponyboy or Sodapop could say anything.

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><p>It was a long day for Pony and Soda. They mainly spoke about Johnny.<p>

It was comfortable; Pony and Soda could tell each other anything.

"Johnny came in late one night. You and Darry were already sleepin'. I was up, like I usually was when he came here late. I think he knew I'd be up. It was kinda a usual thing. He walked in the door and he just looked so scared. I mean, I'd seen Johnny scared before, we all have, but this was something else. I ain't ever seen him that scared…" Sodapop trailed off, remembering the night. He paused for a few moments looking down at his lap. He looked so hurt remembering it.

Ponyboy leaned forward waiting for him to carry on. Listening and watching him intently.

"His dad hit him again. Real bad. Ya' know how bad it's been before? Well it was way worse than that. He didn't wanna tell anyone about it cause he knew how mad it made ya'll. I helped him. Fixed him up and made him better. We spoke most of the night. He was cryin', tellin' me everything that happened. He said he wanted to die. I couldn't believe it. I didn't really know what to say. Everything was just real bad for him. Now I think maybe if I helped him, made sure he always had somewhere to stay, made sure he didn't walk the streets on his own so he didn't get jumped by soc's, then it wouldn't have happened. Maybe he'd still be alive."

Sodapop was shaking. Both brothers were holding back tears.

The day dragged out for Pony and Soda. They carried on talking the whole time. Telling stories about Johnny, times they had with him.

Pony didn't know how much Soda cared about Johnny. He never really saw it. But Soda really did. He really cared about Johnny. He really cares about everyone. Just because you don't always see it, doesn't mean it's not true.

Sodapop has a big heart. He was worried about Ponyboy. Worried about what was going through his mind. He knew how much Pony was hurting, because he really cared about Johnny. He just didn't know how he'd handle it. That's what worried him.


	3. Where's Dally?

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or any of the characters. They all belong to S.E Hinton.**

Please review :)

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><p>The gang gathered around the Curtis house again as usual. They had planned to all meet there at 7 o'clock and then go to Bucks. They needed to blow off some steam after what had been going on.<p>

"Where's Dally?" Steve groaned impatiently.

"It ain't like Dally to be late when we actually make plans. Especially not when we're goin' Bucks or somewhere." Sodapop said sounding slightly worried, but carried on eating cake with Two-Bit anyway.

"C'mon, let's just go. He'll probably be there already."

Darry made his way to the door, the guys following after.

Darry doesn't go to Bucks too often, but the guys wanted a good night after what had happened so he made an exception.

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><p>"Hey, Buck. Ya' seen Dally around?" Darry asked as Buck passed him the drinks.<p>

"Dally? Na, I ain't seen Dally all day. He ain't been here since last night. Dunno where he went though. Sorry, kid."

Two-Bit went to the booth where the guys were sitting, followed by Darry carrying the drinks.

All the guys, apart from Ponyboy and Johnny, drank alcohol. Including Sodapop. He never drinks alcohol, he just gets drunk on plain living. But since Johnny died he felt the need to drink. Darry was okay with it for now, just because he knows how he is feeling. That doesn't mean Darry likes it though.

"Buck ain't seen him." Darry said, concern growing in his voice.

"I spoke to some broads I usually see him hanging around, they ain't seen him either. Did talk to a cute blonde though." Two-Bit added, smirking as he spoke about the blonde.

"Y'know something ain't right. Dally is usually either here at Bucks or with us somewhere." Ponyboy mumbled.

The thought made him hurt, but it mainly made him hurt for Johnny. Johnny would be feeling the exact same thing right now if he were still here.

Johnny really cared about Dally. Dally was always like a role model to Johnny. Johnny near enough worshiped him. Nobody knew why though. Dally is tough, but it's not always a good thing. He has been in jail a lot, so nobody really understood why Johnny worshiped him so much. Johnny was always a good kid. He wouldn't do anything to get him sent to jail. It just didn't make much sense.

Just as he said that the door crashed open and Dally stumbled in looking terrible. Everyone there stopped what they were doing and stared at a drunk and beaten looking Dally.

Ponyboy's jaw dropped. He'd seen Dallas bad, but never this bad. Everyone just seems to be beating their records of bad things lately.

He was covered in blood and bruises, covering him from head to toe. His crimson blood was seeping through his clothes. Large purple bruises were covering his eyes, swelling up so that his eyes could barely open. His lip was busted dripping blood down his chin, but it was nothing compared to the rest of him.

Dallas stumbled attempting to walk over to the gang, having to hold on to anything just to keep himself standing.

Darry rushed over to his side to aid him and help him walk.

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><p>"Woah, Dal. What happened to you?" Darry asked as he got him into a room upstairs, setting him in a bed, the gang following behind.<p>

"I dunno, man. Couple of fights. I dunno. Stupid soc's. Johnny's dead because of them. Stupid bastards. I just remember hitting some people." Dally seemed confused as to what happened, too drunk to remember much.

"What d'ya think you're doin' getting' so wrecked on your own and goin' off without lettin' anyone know where you're goin'?" Darry said sternly.

"Who do you think you are? My father?" Dallas yelled attempting to stand up.

"No, Dallas. I just care about you. We all do. You don't just go off like that, especially not in this kinda situation. Ya' know how hard it's been for all of us lately? Don't need you makin' it worse!"

The argument was getting heated and Ponyboy was getting upset. He was emotional enough lately, but to know that Johnny's death effected Dallas so much that he had to get the most drunk he'd even seen him just to drown his sorrows made it a whole lot worse.

"He's fine now. Just get him fixed up and forget about it." Sodapop stepped in calmly, stopping the row.

Sodapop was a good peacemaker. He always stopped arguments between the gang. But he did know when to step away and not get involved. He used his head a lot. He was naturally a kind guy too, that helped a lot.

It was hard for all of the gang without Johnny. They each dealt with it in their own ways. Some took it better than others. But they all had each other to help them get through it.

"Don't do anything reckless again. Okay, Dal? And that goes for all of you. I don't wanna have to be loosin' any more of you, or worryin' about you all the time. So just don't be doin' anythin' stupid. Savvy?" Darry demanded then silently walked out of the room and left Bucks. He didn't need anything else to deal with. It was all hard enough for him as it was.

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><p>Life was getting harder for Darry as each day went by. It had been hard since his parents died. He was still young himself, but had all the responsibility put onto him after their death; it wasn't easy.<p>

Darry didn't have a life of his own anymore. He spent his time working to get money to keep a roof over his brother's heads. When he wasn't doing that he was looking after them. After their parents died, Darry's social life went down hill, now it was basically non-existent.

Now that Johnny had died too, he had to look after the rest of the gang, as well as his brother and himself. Life got harder each day. Darry was starting to crumble under the pressure. It was a lot to put on a guy of his age. He never did show it though. Darry was strong.


	4. Run

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or any of the characters. They all belong to S.E Hinton.**

**Please review! :) I need constructive criticism. If I get some reviews then I will put the next part up soon. Sorry this one is so short.**

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><p>The next evening dragged round slowly. Each day had been going slower and slower since Johnny died, and nothing was getting any easier.<p>

The gang were gathered at the Curtis house as usual. Casual conversation between them was drifting through the house.

Dallas and Darry both seemed less tense around each other than they had the night before. Dallas was glad that Darry at helped him. He appreciated it. That was a rare thing from Dallas Winston.

Steve and Two-Bit had slightly higher spirits as they had been drinking. They still weren't themselves, but nobody was.

Sodapop sat watching T.V, talking and laughing along with Two-Bit and Steve while Dallas and Darry spoke amongst themselves.

Ponyboy on the other hand was alone with nobody to talk to. There was emptiness without Johnny, and Ponyboy no longer seemed to fit in.

As the conversations began to dry out, the guys discussed what to do. After a while, Steve finally suggested a drinking game.

"Might as well. Nothin' better to do." Darry agreed to join in, which was rare.

Darry didn't drink much and Sodapop never did. Sodapop didn't need to drink to have a good time and Darry never could because of work and his other responsibilities. After Johnny's death Darry began to drink more and so did Soda. Darry only allowed him to because of the situation.

"Go on, Pony. Go off to your room." Darry ordered.

"Why can't I join in?" Ponyboy questioned.

Ponyboy wasn't sure why he bothered asking when he already knew the answer; he was just growing tired of being treating like a kid all of the time.

"You're too young. Go on, go do your homework."

"No. I don't wanna." Ponyboy complained with an edge of irritation in his voice.

"Gimme a little more respect than that, Pony. I'm your brother. Now go!" Darry snapped.

"Ya' sure don't act like one!" Ponyboy snapped.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Darry stood up. His eyes glaring at Ponyboy. They seemed to get colder, which didn't even seem possible to Pony.

His eyes were so angry that it looked like he could burn Pony to a crisp.

Tension was rising in the room. The gang sat awkwardly, watching Pony and Darry, not wanting to get involved.

"You heard me. You're never even here. We'd be better off in a boys home!" Ponyboy raised his voice, not quite yelling. Both anger and fear were showing on his face.

"Don't ever talk to me like that!" Darry yelled, shoving him across the room.

The house grew silent and Ponyboy fled out of the front door. He ran as fast as he could, tears streaming down his face.

"Ponyboy, come back! I didn't mean it." He heard Darry yell, but he just pretended he didn't hear him.

He ran straight to the lot, expecting to find Johnny there just like he had before.

Ponyboy was there, but Johnny wasn't.

He kicked the ground in frustration, running his fingers through his greasy hair. Then he carried on running.

Ponyboy wasn't sure where he was going, all he knew was he had to get far, far away.

He ran so far that he could no longer what was around him.


	5. Taylor

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or any of the characters. They all belong to S.E Hinton.**

**New character introduced in this chapter. One of my own characters. I hope you like it. Please review so I can improve :)**

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><p>I ran as fast as I could, not realising how far I'd gone and I could no longer recognise where I was.<p>

I couldn't hear anything; it was making me nervous.

Looking around, I then realised where I was: Soc territory.

I listened for footsteps, but there was no sound of any. All that I could hear was the strong wind thundering past me. It was freezing cold and once again I'd forgotten a jacket. Typical.

All I knew was I had to get out of there. Fast. I tried to catch my breath before I ran again.

Suddenly I felt an arm crush around my neck.

"Hey, buddy." The voice sneered.

They held me around the throat tight, with my back towards them so that I couldn't see who it was or do anything about it. I could smell the stench of alcohol and stale tobacco in his breath, mixed with his strong cologne. It was so strong that I could taste it. It was bitter and disgusting.

"What are you doing around here?" he asked as he tightened his arm around my neck.

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't say anything. There wasn't much I could do either. I just had to let them beat me, until I was helpless on the ground, and until they had left.

I pushed myself, using all of my strength to spin around to face them. I recognised him from the rumble. He was about a year or two older than me and a whole lot bigger. He looked dirty and bruised, like he had been purposely picking fights all night, and now he had picked me.

Before I knew it I was punched in the face. I fell backwards onto the floor, unprepared. He pinned me down and continued to punch me.

There was nothing I could do. I felt helpless and I hated it. Everything started going dark as I felt myself fall unconscious.

"No, get up!" I thought to myself, awakening myself, not wanting to let him defeat me.

I could barely see, but it was enough to see someone coming up behind him. Great, another one to terrorise me.

"Hey, scum!" the voice of the other person shouted as they walked forward.

I could only see a faint figure. It looked like a girl. To my surprise, they hit the guy over the head with what looked like a brick and he fell unconscious next to me.

I was in luck, it was a greaser and they hadn't come to hurt me, they came to help me. But surely it couldn't be a girl, right?

Wrong. As my vision became clearer I realised that it was a girl. A greaser girl, too.

She looked smaller than me, but not by much. She had long, straight, blonde hair that came down to about the middle of her arms and a pretty face. She was wearing a black shirt under a denim jacket with the collar up, and denim shorts with plain black shoes. She must be just as cold as me.

"Are ya tryna get yourself killed? You shouldn't be around here." She dragged me up off the floor.

"Neither should you." I spoke bluntly. I wasn't really sure how to talk to her.

"I wasn't supposed to end up here. I don't know how I got here."

We started walking back. Obviously both living in the same area being greasers.

"Me either." I agreed as I lit a smoke taking a long drag. I gotta cut down.

"You're welcome, by the way." She said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Sorry. Thanks for helpin' me. You should be able to fight a guy off like that though. You're a girl."

"And you're sexist," she smirked, so did I. "That's what happens when Tim Shepard is your cousin though."

She's related to Tim. That explains it then.

"Really? I know Tim. I'm Ponyboy."

"I know. Ya' don't live far from me. I know your brother Sodapop too. Met him at the DX a while back." She smiled.

It looked like she was blushing, I couldn't tell though because it was dark. I didn't like it though. So she was on of those girls. The ones that throw themselves at Soda.

"I'm Taylor."

"Why haven't I seen you around or met you before?" I asked.

"I used to be shy." She laughed a bit. I smiled. She sure didn't seem like the shy type now.

"So, ya go from shy to throwin' yourself at my brother at the DX?" I regretted it as soon as I said it. I don't know why I even said it. It ain't like me to be rude to people like that.

"I ain't no whore if that's what you're tryna say!" She snapped, stopping still in front of me, giving me an evil glare which I deserved.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm just used to girls being all over my brother all the time, throwin' themselves at him and it annoys me." I felt bad. I shouldn't be taking anything out on her. Especially after she just saved me from that soc.

"I didn't mean it." I repeated, giving her an apologetic look.

"It's fine. I'm used to it. Soda ain't really my type any way." She put her head down like she was blushing a bit again.

"He's not? I thought he was every girl's type."

Most girls around her like Soda. He's movie-star kind of handsome. Not like anyone else around here. Everyone looks rough and tough. Sodapop looks soft and kind. All the girls love it.

"No. I mean, he's okay. I just prefer cute, innocent looking guys… Like you" She blushed again.

"Me?" I laugh a bit, feeling my ears and cheeks burn up.

"Yeah. Like you. I should go. See ya around." She smiled and began walking off.

"See ya."

I didn't even realise we were right by my house. Great, time to face Darry. I let out a long breath and continued to watch Taylor walk away. She was sweet.

"PONYBOY?" I heart Two-Bit call in the distance.

Brilliant, they must all be looking for me.

I walked up to the front door. I felt too unprepared to go in, but I knew if I didn't then it would just get worse.


	6. Brothers

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. The characters belong to S.E Hinton. Each chapter will be written from a different point of view.**

**A/N: Sorry none of the chapters are that long. I will get more into the story soon. Please review if you read this, I need help and constructive criticism. I would really appreciate it :)**

**Thank you for reading! :)**

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><p>It was time. Ponyboy had to go into the house. There was nowhere he could go now and nothing he could do. Besides, his brothers had probably noticed him standing at the door now.<p>

He always felt so pathetic coming home after having an argument with his brother. Most of the gang would be tough and fight it out, but not Ponyboy. He wasn't a fighter. Not with any of the gang though, they were all like brothers.

Ponyboy wished he was tough like that. Not so tough that he would fight with the gang, but at least tough enough to argue it out, but he wasn't. That just isn't the way he is.

"Pony!" Sodapop sighed with relief, dashing to Ponyboy's side as soon as he walked through the door embracing him in a tight hug.

Sodapop cared so much for Ponyboy. They had a sweet relationship. Even through arguments they'd always be by each others sides.

Ponyboy just answered with a half smile which wasn't genuine as he knew what was coming up.

"Pony, where have you been? Ya know how worried I've been cause of you?" Darry yelled at ponyboy. His eyes were as cold and hard as ever.

Darry looked so angry. He stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Ponyboy. His neck and shoulders looked tense and strained and a vein was raised and pulsing on his temple.

"Worried about me? You weren't worried about me. You never worry about me. You just wanted me home so you could start hollerin' at me again, just like always!" Ponyboy spat as he stomped past Darry and into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Ponyboy did not really want to argue, he was just angry, upset, and hurt. His brother hurt him. He always does, yet he never notices and rarely apologises for it. It had all been getting worse since what happened at the church. Pony and Darry always argued and Pony no longer felt like he belonged. Not ever. It was like he was alone all the time, even when he was in a room full of people. And nobody likes to be alone.

Ponyboy was always really sensitive about things too. Everyone always seemed to forget about that and ended up saying or doing something that hurt him; he wasn't the toughest guy around either, he was far from it, so he got hurt a lot.

"Ponyboy! Get out here._ Now!_" Darry demanded slamming Pony's bedroom door open.

Ponyboy knew it would be best to do what Darry said now. As he walked out of his room he saw that the whole gang were now in his house. All of them were staring at him and Darry, just as expected.

That was one of the worst things about the gang always being at the house. The brothers never got any privacy. It was embarrassing for Ponyboy when there were arguments. It always put pressure on him, making him feel intimidated. It always made him feel so small and stupid. He always ended up losing the arguments. All he wanted to prove was how tough he could be. But he never could.

"Wow, Pony. Didn't think ya were the type to disobey ya brother after runnin' away before." Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow then shook his head. It was clear that he was joking around like always, but Sodapop gave him a disapproving look anyway.

"Shut your trap, Two-Bit," Darry snapped. "I didn't mean to hit you before, you know I didn't. I just got angry. And y'know I want to raise you good. Make you respect people and appreciate what y'got. It's my responsibility to do that for you now, and when you talk like that it makes me think I'm a failure. I'm sorry, kid. I really am." Darry rested his hand on Pony's shoulder, giving him an apologetic look.

Ponyboy smiled at Darry to try and show that he was forgiving him; the smile was fake though. He didn't believe anything Darry just said. Ponyboy didn't have much to say. He didn't really want to say anything either.

"Sure." He replied and swiftly walked but into his room pretending that nothing mattered.

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><p>Ponyboy's mind was racing as he lay in bed. His thoughts were flooded with the soc, Taylor, and the argument with Darry.<p>

He didn't really want to think about the soc or Darry, but he couldn't help it. His favourite thing to think about was Taylor. He liked thinking about her. A lot.

She was one of the only girls that Pony felt comfortable talking to. It was easy with her; even if he had only just met her and not had a long conversation with her.

Ponyboy wasn't sure what to believe any more. Darry thinks the word 'sorry' can fix anything. Pony doesn't feel that way though. He doesn't think his brother ever means it anyway.

He wasn't going to bother telling Darry or any of the gang about the incident with the soc. Maybe he could tell Sodapop… Maybe. Then he could tell him about Taylor aswell. Being saved by a girl doesn't make him seem so tough, but Sodapop wouldn't care.

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><p>"Pony, are you alright?" Sodapop spoke softly as he poked his head through the door.<p>

"I'm fine." Pony lied, avoiding eye contact with his brother.

He wasn't fine. He wasn't upset either, but he wasn't fine.

"Darry does care about you, ya know. He was worried sick when you ran off. Especially, well, y'know… after what happened last time."

Sodapop sat down on the bed next to Ponyboy, resting a hand on his shoulder. Ponyboy winced at the touch, closing his eyes tightly as pain shot through his arm. A bruise must have formed from the aggressiveness of the soc.

"Hey. What happened?" Sodapop asked, frowning. Concern flashed across Soda's face.

"Nothing." Ponyboy replied, lying once again. That had become a habit of his with all that was going on.

"Don't lie to me," Soda said firmly as he turned on the bedroom light.  
>He stared at Ponyboy, wide eyed in shock.<br>Pony was covered in bruises. He managed to hide it in front of Darry and the gang before as he kept his head down and didn't hang around long. There was no way of hiding it now.

"Jeez, Ponyboy. What the hell happened?" Soda raised his voice slightly, sounding livid with whoever did this to him. It wasn't often he sounded like that, only when somebody had hurt his younger brother.

"Nothing really. I just ran too far… got jumped by a soc." Pony mumbled.

Soda just got angrier, you could almost see the flames in his eyes.

"It's fine though," Pony said, attempting to reassure his brother, "someone helped me. Another greaser."

Ponyboy felt his cheeks and ears become warm as he blushed.

"You're blushing? Why are you blushing?"

Ponyboy looked away smiling to himself.

"It was a _girl,_ wasn't it? N'aww, Pony got saved by a girl and now he has a crush!" Soda teased.

"Naww, not a crush. She was just sweet is all. She said she knew you from the DX."

"Really? What was her name?" Sodapop asked. He really sounded interested and happy for his brother and that made Pony happy. No one else in the gang would really care. Johnny would have. But nobody else.

"Taylor. I don't know her last name, but she's Tim Shepard's cousin. She hit the soc over the head." Ponyboy smiled, his ears burning red.

"Taylor? Yeah. I know her. Man, she's tough. Just like Tim. You're right, though. She is sweet." Soda winked at Pony teasing him. Ponyboy just blushed again.

The room grew quiet after that as Sodapop turned off the light and the boys settled down.

Ponyboy felt better after talking to Sodapop. He felt happier again. Sodapop was good at making people feel better. He always has been; it's just the way he is. It comes naturally to him.

The boys fell asleep to the sound of laughter from the gang lingering through the house, the glittering shine from the moonlight through the windows, and Ponyboy thinking about Taylor.


	7. Darry

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or any of the characters.**

**Please review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism would be appreciated. Thank you for reading :)**

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><p><strong>Darry's P.O.V:<strong>

I can't believe it. I am such an idiot. I've messed it all up again. Just when things are going okay between us, I have to ruin it.  
>I'm always telling Ponyboy that he doesn't use his head, but neither do I; I just lash out.<p>

I thought everything was fixed after what happened before, when I first saw Ponyboy at the hospital after the fire when he ran away. I thought he understood how much I cared about him. I thought it finally sunk in to him that I really do care about him. But then I blew it, so I can't blame him. It's like I'm sending him mixed signals.

I'd feel the same if I was him. I'm sure now he just thinks I hate him; all I do is holler at him, but never Sodapop. But that's only because I care about him so much. I don't want him to be messed up like me or Soda. At least one of us has to do really well in this family. We can't just be the messed up family. One of us has to graduate and go to college, and I know Ponyboy can do it. He's the smartest one out of all of us. That's why I holler at him all the time, because I want him to do well.

I want him to do good for himself, for the family. He can do it, I know he can. Me and Sodapop both believe in him. I know if he does then he will be proud of himself for once instead of doubting himself all the time. He is smarter than he thinks he is. He can do well in life; I'm just not sure if he believes it himself yet. He can finally achieve something in his life. He can have something to be proud of, to make him happy.

I just wish I didn't hit him. I feel so stupid and I regret it so much. I need to stop getting angry and learn to control myself. He just pushes me sometimes and what he said really did hurt me. It just stung that he thinks those things about me.

I just wish mom and dad were still here. And Johnny, too. I wish everything was as easy as it used to be. It's never been perfect. - I mean, it's always been greasers and socs, and that has always sucked. Always getting jumped and made out to be the bad guys. I hated it. I hated seeing my family and friends go through it. I just didn't see the point in it. There was no point in labels. – But apart from that, everything was always nice. We all got along. I wasn't the one with all the responsibilities. We'd go out as a family without arguing. I miss it.

It's hard for me now. I have too much responsibility and I can't handle it. I'm crumbling under the pressure and nobody even seems to notice it. It's like I'm screaming for help but nobody can hear me.  
>I feel so stupid for thinking like that because I'm supposed to be tough. I'm supposed to be able to handle it all at ease. I shouldn't be able to feel a thing because I should be strong enough to handle it all, but I'm not.<p>

I'm just Darry. The one who is like a big brother, the one who is like Superman. But nobody sees me how I really am. I'm just still a kid, but I've been given all these adult responsibilities that I can't handle. I hate it, but I know I have to do it for my brothers. They are the most important things to me and I just want to do good for them. Of course I can't show how I really feel. That's why I just cover it up all of the time. That's why Ponyboy thinks I am so cold. That's why he doesn't realise how much I care about him. I care about him more than he will ever know, more than anybody will ever know. I can't tell people this though, because they will think I've gone all soft, and you just can't do that around here, not when you're supposed to be a tough greaser with a tough reputation.

That's why I hate being a "greaser" and having to live up to what people think I should be. Doing what they think I should do. Living up to their standards. It's just not how I want to be.

Sure, I miss having fun. I miss having a social life and having other friends outside of the gang. I miss having time to go out, instead of having to work two jobs. I miss seeing my girlfriend, Marie, that none of the gang even know I have. Now I'm arguing with Ponyboy I see her even less because I'm trying to fix things with him. I wish I could've gone to college and done well, but I knew it was better to do what I'm doing instead. I have to do it for my brothers. As much as I don't like it, I have to do it and I always will as long as I have to, because I love my brothers, even if they don't know it.

Things are kind of getting better between me and Pony. We've been arguing less, but we still argue at times. He just pushes me too far sometimes and makes me really angry and I just end up yelling at him, I just can't help it. But then seeing the pain in his eyes, seeing how upset he looks, it always makes me stop. He's my baby brother and I don't wanna be the one to make him look and feel like that.

I know we both hate arguing, so I don't know why we do it.

I've been trying to make things up to him in every way I can. The other day when me and Soda had some time off work, we even went to the movies with him. I think he was glad we went. He seemed to enjoy it. I just need to prove to him that I do care about him.

I need to earn Ponyboy's trust again, Sodapop's too.  
>Soda was disappointed with me for hitting Pony. It made him mad. So I need to make things up to him as well. I will do everything I can do get things to be how they used to be between us.<p>

I need to start by introducing them to Marie. They're my brothers and they deserve to know what's going on in my life. Especially as she means so much to me. I mean, I think I love her. I really do.


	8. Surprise

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders or any of the characters. They all belong to S.E Hinton. The only character I own is Taylor.**

* * *

><p>Ponyboy was awoken by the sound of Darry in the kitchen and the movement on the bed as Sodapop got up; the boys had been sharing a bed as Ponyboy's nightmares started getting worse since Johnny died. He'd wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweats, screaming as loud as his voice would let him.<p>

"Sorry, Pony. I didn't mean to wake ya." Sodapop looked cheery, just like he usually does.

"It's okay. I was awake anyway." Ponyboy mumbled sleepily, dragging himself from the bed and following Soda to the kitchen.

Darry was in the kitchen making breakfast and whistling as he did so.

"You sound awfully happy today, Dar." Soda said as both boys took a seat at the table.

"I am," Darry set the plates down on the table and took a seat, "ya know, I am real sorry for what's been happenin'. Sorry to both of you."

Sodapop and Ponyboy simply nodded and faked a smile, feeling awkwardness fill the room with the direction the conversation was going in.

"So I thought I'd make it up to you. I want you both to be able to trust me. We're family after all, and we're all each other have."

Darry let out a breath hesitantly before speaking; Ponyboy impatiently tapped his fingers.

"I've got a, uh… a kind of surprise for you." Darry smiled talking about it, and he looked genuinely happy. This just made Ponyboy feel worse. He knew something was worse, he just didn't know what.

"Really?" Sodapop grinned, "What is it? When do we get it?" He was just like an excited puppy.

"Later today," Darry stood up putting his plate on the kitchen side, "Now, I'm goin' to work. I'll be back in about four hours. Be ready to go okay, okay?" Darry smiled goodbye and walked out with a bounce in his step.

This was completely out of character for Darry and the boys knew it, but he was really trying to make an effort for his brothers.

"I'm not so sure about this," Pony complained as the brothers washed the dishes.

"Oh, c'mon Pony. He's tryin'. Give him a chance." Soda smiled at Pony, trying to lighten his spirits.

Even in the worst situations, Soda is usually smiling. It takes a lot to upset him; that's just how he is.

"Fine. But if it's somethin' bad, don't say I didn't warn you."

Sodapop simply shrugged and smiled as he left the room to go have a shower.  
>He didn't know what the 'surprise' was going to be, but he wasn't worried.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Ponyboy's P.O.V –<strong>

I don't know why I'm so worried about Darry's 'surprise', I just am.

Something was definitely up this morning. Sure, Darry can be happy, but I ain't seen him like that in a long time. It's like he was bursting with happiness and he had a smile glued onto his face. It was bizarre because that Darry died a long time ago.

After getting dressed I decided to go out and run. I know I'm not supposed to go out on my lonesome around here, but it's not so bad now because I always run and have been since Johnny died. It kind of helps me take my mind off of things and helps me practise for track at school too; I'm a lot faster now, I smoke less too, so now I'm in better shape so if someone tries to jump me I can get away easily.

Running's relaxing. When I run it feels like the wind blows straight through me and I forget everything.  
>I needed it right now; I needed to forget all about what's happened with Darry and just relax.<p>

A car horn suddenly beeped close by me, making me jump out of my skin. I sped up and sharply turned the next closest corner by me.

"Shit!" I heard a familiar female voice yell as I crashed into them head butting them as I turned the corner.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I spoke quickly.

I winced as I looked up and saw Taylor standing there with a sour expression on her face. Her hand was clutched onto her nose and blood was seeping through her fingers.

"Golly. I'm real sorry."

"Don't we just have the nicest run-ins?" she said sarcastically, wiping her bloodied hand on her jeans, "one of us bleedin' each time." She laughed putting her hand to her still-bleeding nose.

I laughed remembering how we met. Before it would have given me shivers at the thought of getting jumped, but for some reason the memory of the last time just made me laugh now.

"Your nose looks pretty bad. You should come back to mine until the bleeding stops. I might have some clean clothes you can change into…" I stopped as she gave me a weird looks, "Girls clothes. My cousins. Not mine." I smiled.

"Thanks. Yeah, that might be a good idea. If I go home lookin' like this, my mom will think I got into a fight again." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Let's just hope your nose doesn't bruise then."

* * *

><p>Ponyboy and Taylor walked in to the Curtis house to the roar of laughter from the gang who were sprawled out across the room.<p>

All eyes were on Taylor as she stood in the doorway by Ponyboy.

"Hey, Pony! Since when do you bring girls home?" Two-bit joked as he cocked an eyebrow, making himself laugh.

Ponyboy glared at Two-bit as his cheeks burned pink. He nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen to Taylor. As she walked towards the kitchen Ponyboy smiled at Sodapop, who smiled back in return raising his eyebrows. Ponyboy then followed Taylor into the kitchen.

They didn't have to say a word, but they both knew what each other were thinking.

It was like a boy code. Sodapop was happy for Ponyboy, happy that he was finally talking to girls like the rest of the gang. He felt proud on his brother's behalf.

Taylor sat up on the kitchen side as she used a cloth to clean her face and hands up, wincing as she cleaned her nose.

"You're not as tough as you make out to be." Ponyboy smirked at her.

"Your head is so hard it feels like it's made of concrete. That's all I can say." She laughed as she hopped off of the kitchen counter.

They stood there in the kitchen, just staring and smiling at each other.

"So, the clothes…?" Taylor said breaking the silence, averting her eyes from Ponyboy's as if she was suddenly shy.

"Uh, yeah. Come with me."

Ponyboy walked to his room, Taylor following behind.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Dallas called to them, "Or anything I would." He joked as the gang all broke into laughter again.

Ponyboy went through his draws to find an old pair of jeans and a shirt.

"Here, they look about your size."

"Thanks." Taylor said with a smile, taking the clothes off of Ponyboy. As she did her hand brushed against his.

Ponyboy's cheeks grew warm and pink again, but awkwardness filled the air.

"Uhh… I should go. Thanks for the clothes." Taylor rushed off and out of the house before Ponyboy could say anything.

It wasn't much, but her touch made Ponyboy feel happy. He wasn't too sure why, but it just did.

* * *

><p>"Scare her away, did ya Pony?" Dally grinned as Ponyboy walked into the room.<p>

"Leave him alone, Dal." Sodapop gave Dallas a disapproving look. He looked over to Ponyboy and nodded at him.  
>Ponyboy knew what he meant. It was his "I'll talk to you later." look. Pony had seen it many times before. Ponyboy didn't care about talking about it though. He didn't want to. He was just filled with doubt now.<p>

"You should all go. Darry will be back soon and we're going out." Sodapop said with the 'excited puppy' look on his face again.

The gang left soon after; not long before the arrival of Darry.

Now is the time for the big surprise that Ponyboy was dreading so much.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you all thing of Pony and Taylor? Just so you know, it's not going to be like other typical romance fanfics.<strong>  
><strong>I hope you don't all think that it's boring. I didn't want it to be like other fanfics I've read before where it's all over the top and characters have major mood swings every other line. I don't mean that in a mean way. I just want mine to be more realistic.<strong>  
><strong>Please review and don't be too hard on me, this is my first fan fiction :) <strong>


	9. Marie

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders, it belongs to S.E Hinton.**

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><p>I lit a smoke as I impatiently waited for Darry to shower. The smell of cologne lingered through the house. If I'm honest, I don't really know why he's bothering.<p>

I took a long drag as it all dawned on me. This must be something important if it's got Darry putting in effort. It must be something important to him. Why else would he be bothering so much? He never usually does.

My mouth went dry as I thought of all the possibilities. I drank some Pepsi to get rid of the dryness as I thought it all through.

Maybe he found some family that mom and dad didn't know they had. It was a long shot, but what else could it be? I'm probably just fooling myself.

Darry never has surprises and he only really bothers before going out if it's for a rumble.

I felt myself getting giddy at the thought. My skin tingled and the hairs on my arms stood up. I shouldn't be letting my mind wonder, nor should I be getting high hopes, but I couldn't help myself. Even if it wasn't long lost family, it had to be something good or else Darry wouldn't put that much effort in.

"You two get changed. Ya' can't go out lookin' like that," Darry pointed to our clothes.

"C'mon, I'll find you both something',"

He led us to his room and set out smart clothes and ties. Why would we dress up so posh?

We're greasers. Greasers don't do posh.

Soda and I both protested against the outfits Darry had chosen for us. We got changed into something smarter, but we wouldn't wear what Darry wanted us to. No way.

* * *

><p>I attempted to put all my thoughts and hopes to the back of my mind as we set off driving to whatever secret destination Darry was taking us to.<p>

"You smell awfully good, Dal. Why so fancy?" Sodapop questioned.

A faint smile tugged at Darry lips, "You'll see."

Darry looked a lot more handsome when he smiled. He didn't look so cold or tough. I liked it that way. It reminded me of dad.

The drive was long and kind of awkward for me. Darry and I still weren't talking properly, but he was really trying with me, so maybe I should too.

We pull up outside a place I didn't recognise. Come to think of it, I didn't have a clue where we were.

It was dark, but the place was well-lit. We stood outside of a large red building. The sign on it was huge and metal and looked like it weighed a whole lot.

It read 'Abbot's'.

Flower beds sat in rows; all red and white to match the building.

It was the fanciest place I'd been in a long time. It wasn't soc-fancy, but it was fancier than greasers are used to.

"Come on, kiddo." Darry waved me in as I stood staring at my surroundings whilst he and Soda were waiting at the door.

"I feel under dressed," I said as we sat at the table, looking at everyone around me.

"Me too. Darry was right. Shoulda changed." Sodapop agreed.

"When aint I right?" Darry laughed with Soda, "At least what you're wearing now is better what you usually wear. Ya just shoulda worn what I said."

He was right; we were dressed better than usual.

I wore a white button up shirt with the sleeves roles up to my elbows, a pair of jeans which were tatty at the bottom – which, by the way, ain't too hot of an idea in a place like this – and my cleanest pair of shoes. They weren't completely clean, but they could've been a whole lot worse.

Soda was dressed in basically the same outfit, except his shirt was black.

Darry on the other hand was dressed in smart black shoes and trousers with a white shirt and a thin black tie. I didn't even know he owned most of the clothes. It sure made me and Soda feel out of place.

"So, why are we here?" Soda asked while reading the menu.

"You'll find out soon, kiddo. Order whatever you want, I've been saving up for this." Darry smiled, looking around.

I sat and observed everyone in the restaurant. I never mean to, it's just a habit.

A few tables across from us was a big bald man sitting on his own. His forehead was crinkled and his nose was screwed up. He sat there holding his forkful of food in front of his eyes and he was talking to it. I couldn't tell if he was drunk or just crazy; either was it was weird. It kind of reminded me of Two-Bit when he was drunk.

On the table next to him was a couple. They looked about Soda's age. They didn't look like greasers, but they didn't look like socs either. Maybe they were somewhere in the middle, or maybe they weren't even from around here. I wish I could be like that.

They sat leaning across the table so that they were as close to each other as they could possibly be. They were laughing and kissing, not even bothering to eat their food that was sitting right there; it was like they were in a world of their own, completely unaware of everything going on around them. They didn't care about anything else around them, as long as they were together, everything was perfect.

I felt so envious of them. I used to with that I had a relationship like that with Cherry Valance. Not any more, though. I would never admit it to anyone, but I got jealous every time I saw a cute, loved-up couple. I just want something like that, but I've never even kissed a girl.

I looked away from them as I started getting too jealous and I didn't like it one bit.

I turned and looked towards to door as a beautiful brunette in a red dress walked in. She looked about twenty years old, so she was a lot older than me, but she sure was pretty.

I sat in my own world watching her as she looked around, probably for her date. She started beaming as she must have found him. That's when I was brought back to reality. My brother, Darrel Curtis, had gone up and greeted her with a kiss. My brother was her date.

I looked at Soda and he had the same stunned expression on his face as I did. We were both completely taken aback.

I didn't know how to feel. All I could think was _"How did we not know about this?"_

* * *

><p>Darry's P.O.V<p>

I held Marie's hand and led her to the table.

Soda and Pony both looked totally shocked and I couldn't really blame them.

"Soda, Pony, this is my girlfriend Marie. I know I haven't told you about her before, and I'm sorry for that, but I think now we all have to start being honest with each other. So, I thought you should meet her." I said it quickly, so that they couldn't get a word in, and I said it calmly so they could realise just how serious I was.

"I've heard a lot about you two. It's nice to finally meet you."

Ponyboy and Sodapop both put out their hands to shave hers and replied with, "It's nice to meet you too."

I was surprised at how mature they were being about this. No arguing, no complaining, no protesting. Nothing. I was happy and proud of them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN - Sorry that this chapter isn't that interesting and sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been so busy looking for a prom dress and doing school work! Next chapter will be up soon and there will be more about the rest of the gang soon too. Please review? :)**


	10. AN

A/N: I know you're not supposed to do this but I felt really bad because I haven't updated in a long time. So yeah, sorry about that. I've been really busy with school, exams and prom. It's summer now though, so I'll be updating more. I'll have a new chapter soon. Sorry for the wait


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